Nakazawahama Shell Mound

Nakazawahama Shell Midden
中沢浜貝塚
Location in Japan
Location in Japan
Location in Japan
Nakazawahama Shell Mound (Japan)
Location Rikuzentakata, Iwate, Japan
Region Tōhoku region
Coordinates 38°57′18″N 141°41′50″E / 38.95500°N 141.69722°E / 38.95500; 141.69722
Altitude 20 m (66 ft)
Type shell midden
History
Periods early to late Jōmon, Yayoi
Site notes
Ownership National Historic Site
Management (private land)
Public access Yes

Nakazawahama Shell Midden (中沢浜貝塚, Nakazawahama Kaizuka) is a Jōmon period archaeological site consisting of a shell midden and the remains of an adjacent settlement located in what is now the city of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan.. It is protected by the central government as a National Historic Site.[1]

The rocky ria coast of Iwate Prefecture was densely settled from the early through late Jōmon period, and the locations of such coastal settlements are often marked by shell middens containing shellfish, fish, animal and whale bones and human-produced artifacts, including earthenware shards, fishing hooks, etc.

The Nakzawahama Shell Midden is located near the tip of Hirota Peninsula at the western slope of Omoriyama mountain, at an elevation of between five and twenty meters from the present-day coastline. A preliminary survey was conducted in 1907-1908, at which time 23 sets of human remains were also discovered. A more comprehensive excavation was conducted in 1924; however the site did not receive protection until it was designated as a national historic site in 1934.

Artifacts discovered include earthenware, stoneware, animal bone ware and jar coffins from the early to late Jomon period through the Yayoi period. Further excavation conducted by Rikuzentakata City Board of Education in 1984, 1986, and 1988, uncovered a total of 18 more human skeletons.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "中沢浜貝塚 なかざわはまかいづか". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  2. ↑ Sawada, Junmei (2008). "Severe developmental defects of enamel in a human skeleton of the Final Jomon age from the Nakazawahama shell-mound, Iwate, Japan". ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCE. The Anthropological Society of Nippon. 116: 115–121.
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